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Running IBM Informix in Docker and Connecting webMethods JDBC Adapter Overview This article documents, end‑to‑end, the setup of IBM Informix Developer Edition running in a Docker container and its successful integration with Software AG webMethods Integration Server using the JDBC Adapter. The goal is to provide a practical, real‑world guide covering: Informix installation via Docker Linux host preparation and security pitfalls Network and port exposure JDBC driver selection and placement webMethods JDBC Adapter configuration Common errors and how they were resolved This guide is based on a real troubleshooting session and reflects the issues you are most likely to encounter in enterprise Linux environments. ...

Reference Architecture: Redis + Kafka for Fast Reads and Event Propagation 1. Purpose This document describes a reference architecture where: Redis is used to accelerate synchronous read paths Kafka is used to propagate state changes asynchronously The application layer is the sole coordinator of state and events This architecture optimises for: Low latency API responses Decoupled downstream processing Independent scaling of consumers Eventual consistency across systems It does not assume microservices, CQRS, or event sourcing by default. ...

Redis + Kafka: Fast Reads with Event-Driven Change Propagation Overview Redis and Kafka are often presented together, yet they solve orthogonal problems: Redis optimises synchronous access to current state Kafka propagates asynchronous state changes to interested consumers Used together, they enable: Low-latency API responses Decoupled distribution of data changes Independent scaling of read paths and consumers This article explains how they complement each other in practice, without implying any direct coupling or “magic integration”. ...

A Comprehensive Guide to Modern Authentication Mechanisms, Protocols, Standards and Best Practices Authentication is at the core of every digital interaction. Whether you’re logging in to a banking app, requesting data from an API or granting temporary access to a third-party service, authentication defines who you are and whether you should be allowed to proceed. Over the past decades, authentication has evolved from simple username–password checks to sophisticated, multi-stage, cryptographically secure protocols designed to protect users and services across distributed, cloud-first environments. ...

Understanding ngrok: Secure Tunnelling, Developer Productivity and Beyond Modern software development increasingly depends on rapid feedback cycles, secure access to local workloads, and seamless integration with external cloud-based systems. Tools that allow safe exposure of local resources to the internet have therefore become a natural part of modern development workflows. Amongst all available tunnelling tools, ngrok remains one of the most widely adopted solutions across individual developers, teams, enterprises and platform-level automation environments. ...

UV: The High-Performance Python Package & Project Manager Built in Rust The Python ecosystem has no shortage of packaging tools—pip, virtualenv, pipenv, poetry, conda, rye, and others—but it has lacked something essential: a unified, extremely fast, modern, user-friendly solution that handles installation, environment management, project workflows, dependency resolution, and Python version management all in one place, without the typical performance issues of Python-based tooling. Enter UV: a next-generation Python package and project manager from Astral (formerly Astral Software), written entirely in Rust for maximum speed, safety, and modern ergonomics. ...

JSON-RPC: A Complete and In-Depth Guide to the Lightweight Remote Procedure Call Protocol Remote Procedure Call (RPC) systems have been part of software engineering for decades, long before REST, GraphQL, or gRPC entered the scene. Among the many RPC variants, JSON-RPC stands out for its simplicity, language neutrality, and minimal overhead. In an increasingly interconnected digital landscape, where microservices, distributed back ends, IoT platforms and blockchain ecosystems depend on clean and efficient interfaces, JSON-RPC has seen a strong resurgence. ...

AI Dictionary: An Essential Glossary for Modern Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence evolves quickly, and keeping up with terminology is essential for anyone working in technology, business, or research. This dictionary summarises the key terms used across machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, generative AI, and applied systems. A AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) A theoretical form of AI capable of understanding, learning, and applying intelligence across any task at human level or beyond. ...

🧩 IBM MQ — Enterprise Messaging Done Right Overview IBM MQ is a robust, enterprise-grade messaging middleware that provides secure, reliable, and transactional communication between applications, systems, and services. It has been a global leader in enterprise messaging for decades, powering the world’s largest banks, insurers, manufacturers, and public institutions. Its strength lies in guaranteed message delivery, decoupling of systems, and proven reliability across hybrid environments — from mainframes and on-prem to containers and cloud-native architectures. ...

Terraform: The Definitive Infrastructure-as-Code Tool for Modern Enterprises In an era where infrastructure must be agile, repeatable, and scalable, Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) has become a foundational paradigm. At the heart of many IaC practices lies Terraform — an open-source tool developed by HashiCorp that lets organisations define, provision, and manage infrastructure through declarative configuration. ([HashiCorp Developer][1]) This article provides a deep dive into Terraform: its origins, core concepts, workflow, architecture, strengths and weaknesses, enterprise adoption patterns, how to operate it at scale, and what the future holds. ...